
The Washington Nationals announced on Friday that their right-hand pitcher, Josiah Gray, will undergo surgery for a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and miss the remainder of the 2024 MLB season.
The Nationals named Gray their Opening Day starter after he delivered an All-Star season in 2023. However, the New Rochelle, New York native ended up making one more start before being sidelined due to soreness in his elbow.
Gray seemed to be on the road to recovery before suffering a setback during a rehab start in June. He later underwent an MRI that showed the UCL tear.
The type of surgery Gray will undergo will depend on the extent of the damage in his UCL. The player is hoping for an internal brace procedure that would allow him to play in 2025. However, Tommy John surgery, which would rule him out until 2026 remains a real possibility.
“If the ligament is not as damaged as the MRI imaging shows, we can hold out hope for the internal brace procedure,” Gray told reporters. “If the ligament is damaged, we can obviously opt for Tommy John. Obviously, the hybrid’s in place, which is a merging of the two, as well. So truly, it’s just a wait and see.”
Gray made 30 starts for the Nationals in 2023, finishing the campaign with an 8-13 record, a career-best 3.91 ERA, and 143 strikeouts. The elbow soreness caused his ERA to balloon to 14.04 in his two starts this season.